Fair& equal application of justice

The 14th Amendment provides for due process & equal protection under the law. 75% - 80% of those sent to prison in Champaign County are African Americans. Only 12% of County residents are African-American.

Let us compare how differently the legal system treats whites who are or have been within the “criminal justice” system and have faced charges of a sexual nature and black folks in a similar situation.

The Brady Smith Case ...

In 2001, a white dean of students at Franklin Middle School was caught on tape soliciting sex from one of his 14-year-old African American students. More black students came forward to say he had solicited sex from them. The dean was a former probation officer with friends in the State’s Attorneys office. He lost his job at the school, but his only legal punishment for preying on black students was probation and $10 in court fees. See www.thebradysmithcase.com for more information.

Officer Kurt Hjort - a story of law enforcement protecting their own...

In 2005, Kurt Hjort, a white Urbana police officer was accused by a woman of driving a squad car to her apartment, entering it without invitation in full uniform including gun and cuffs, and forcing sexual intercourse upon her. The officer admitted to having sex while on duty and quit, collecting his pension, before he could be fired. The woman sued both the city and the police chief, the latter because she contended that he knew of three previous cases of sexual abuses commuted by the officer while he was on duty.

State's Attorney Reitz recused herself because the accused officer was a friend of her fiance. Judge Difanis appointed his former Assistant State's Attorney, Jim Dedman as special prosecutor, instead of using the State Appellate Prosecutor services that the county had already contracted for. The special prosecutor decided that there would be no criminal charges, that the officer had already been punished enough by losing his job. The city settled with the accuser for an undisclosed total - over $100,00 came directly from taxpayer coffers - and the officer walks the streets untried.

The Brian Silverman Story ...

Also in 2005, Brian Silverman, the white law partner of Jim Dedman, was accused of committing a degrading sexual act on a black woman whose boy friend was his client, and thus at the mercy of the attorney. He has a history of settling out of court on similar allegations. He faced no criminal prosecution or even permanent disbarment. His only punishment was a nine-month suspension from practicing law - a punishment he is appealing.

Compare this to the Case of Patrick Thompson

Patrick Thompson is a black civil rights activist accused of entering the apartment of his neighbor, holding her down, fondling her breast and threatening her. The State proscecutor readily admitted in open court to an all-white jury, in the first trial, that it has no physical evidence, no witnesses, and the jury must rely solely on the credibility of the accuser. The investigating police officer in this case admitted in open court he performed no investigation other than to write down the accuser's story. The State deliberately hid from the jury the facts that this accuser has made similiar accusations against three other men. The State hid from the jury that this accuser had a warrant out for her arrest and pending criminal charges while she testified and the State was threatening to take her children. The charges which were later dismissed by motion of the State after she testified against Mr. Thompson.

Why would the Champaign County Law Enforcement community deliberately cheat to send an innocent man to prison? Patrick Thompson is one of the videographers that created the controversial video documentary, Citizens Watch from 2004, documenting instances of local law enforcement behaving aggressively toward african-american citizens. Then-state's attorney, John Piland, lost his re-election bid by maliciously proscecuting Patrick Thompson and Martel Miller for criminal eavesdropping. Mr. Thompson's and Mr. Miller's constitutional rights were grossly violated during this attempt to stop the making of the film, and the state knows it. That is why the state is attempting to frame Mr. Thompson with a crime he did not commit so he cannot as easily press his civil lawsuit against government officials in the eavesdropping case.

Patrick was found guilty and is facing 6-30 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Over $5,000 has been raised by the community to pay for Thompson's legal defense with more being gathered everyday. Community Courtwatch continues to research this story where corruption, which runs deep, exposes itself to the light.



Priorities for Justice About Us Meetings are every Saturday at 4 PM in the Independent Media Center in the downtown Urbana post office building.		Fair& equal application of justice The 14th Amendment provides for due process & equal protection under the law. 75% - 80% of those sent to prison in Champaign County are African Americans. Only 12% of County residents are African-American. Let us compare how differently the legal system treats whites who are or have been within the “criminal justice” system and have faced charges of a sexual nature and black folks in a similar situation. The Brady Smith Case ... In 2001, a white dean of students at Franklin Middle School was caught on tape soliciting sex from one of his 14-year-old African American students. More black students came forward to say he had solicited sex from them. The dean was a former probation officer with friends in the State’s Attorneys office. He lost his job at the school, but his only legal punishment for preying on black students was probation and $10 in court fees. See www.thebradysmithcase.com for more information. Officer Kurt Hjort - a story of law enforcement protecting their own... In 2005, Kurt Hjort, a white Urbana police officer was accused by a woman of driving a squad car to her apartment, entering it without invitation in full uniform including gun and cuffs, and forcing sexual intercourse upon her. The officer admitted to having sex while on duty and quit, collecting his pension, before he could be fired. The woman sued both the city and the police chief, the latter because she contended that he knew of three previous cases of sexual abuses commuted by the officer while he was on duty. State's Attorney Reitz recused herself because the accused officer was a friend of her fiance. Judge Difanis appointed his former Assistant State's Attorney, Jim Dedman as special prosecutor, instead of using the State Appellate Prosecutor services that the county had already contracted for. The special prosecutor decided that there would be no criminal charges, that the officer had already been punished enough by losing his job. The city settled with the accuser for an undisclosed total - over $100,00 came directly from taxpayer coffers - and the officer walks the streets untried. The Brian Silverman Story ... Also in 2005, Brian Silverman, the white law partner of Jim Dedman, was accused of committing a degrading sexual act on a black woman whose boy friend was his client, and thus at the mercy of the attorney. He has a history of settling out of court on similar allegations. He faced no criminal prosecution or even permanent disbarment. His only punishment was a nine-month suspension from practicing law - a punishment he is appealing. Compare this to the Case of Patrick Thompson Patrick Thompson is a black civil rights activist accused of entering the apartment of his neighbor, holding her down, fondling her breast and threatening her. The State proscecutor readily admitted in open court to an all-white jury, in the first trial, that it has no physical evidence, no witnesses, and the jury must rely solely on the credibility of the accuser. The investigating police officer in this case admitted in open court he performed no investigation other than to write down the accuser's story. The State deliberately hid from the jury the facts that this accuser has made similiar accusations against three other men. The State hid from the jury that this accuser had a warrant out for her arrest and pending criminal charges while she testified and the State was threatening to take her children. The charges which were later dismissed by motion of the State after she testified against Mr. Thompson. Why would the Champaign County Law Enforcement community deliberately cheat to send an innocent man to prison? Patrick Thompson is one of the videographers that created the controversial video documentary, Citizens Watch from 2004, documenting instances of local law enforcement behaving aggressively toward african-american citizens. Then-state's attorney, John Piland, lost his re-election bid by maliciously proscecuting Patrick Thompson and Martel Miller for criminal eavesdropping. Mr. Thompson's and Mr. Miller's constitutional rights were grossly violated during this attempt to stop the making of the film, and the state knows it. That is why the state is attempting to frame Mr. Thompson with a crime he did not commit so he cannot as easily press his civil lawsuit against government officials in the eavesdropping case. Patrick was found guilty and is facing 6-30 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Over $5,000 has been raised by the community to pay for Thompson's legal defense with more being gathered everyday. Community Courtwatch continues to research this story where corruption, which runs deep, exposes itself to the light.